SPRINGFIELD – The Senate advanced a measure Wednesday supported by State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) to protect students in Illinois from grooming and abuse at the hands of educators.

“Students have a right to feel safe at school and know they can trust the adults who watch over them,” said Villa. “This legislation ensures those who breach that trust are unable to go to another school and do the same thing.”

House Bill 4316 expands on legislation passed in December 2021 known as Faith’s Law. Named after Faith Colson, a woman who experienced sexual abuse as a student nearly 20 years ago, Faith’s Law made it illegal for school employees to groom students into sexual relationships. It created a resource guide for students, parents, teachers on sexual abuse response and prevention and strengthen training for teachers.

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois visitors and out-of-state students would be able to continue to receive their established therapeutic services via telehealth from an out-of-state certified social worker under a measure championed by State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago).

“I have seen firsthand how essential these services can be to those in need,” Villa said. “As a former school social worker, I know how important it is to nurture and maintain relationships between therapists and those they care for.”

Clinicians are required to be licensed in the state where their client is physically located at the time of care, not the state where they reside under current law. House Bill 4797 would allow non-residents and visitors to Illinois, such as university students, to continue to receive the care they need from their trusted and established therapists.

“I am proud to advance this legislation that will further establish Illinois as a national leader in mental health care access,” Villa said. “These vital resources should be available to everyone in our state, resident or otherwise.”

The legislation passed out of the Senate Wednesday and now awaits further action from the governor.

WEST CHICAGO – More than $3 million in Back to Business grants will be awarded to small businesses across the 25^th District, State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) announced.

“Local businesses bring so much life to our community,” Villa said. “Especially through the challenges of the last two years, the services they provide have been absolutely vital and, now more than ever, they need our support.”

Sixty-three local businesses will be receiving a total of $3,125,000 in COVID-19 relief funds in the latest round of B2B grants through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation sponsored by State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) will allow Illinois visitors and non-resident students to continue to receive therapeutic services via telehealth from an out-of-state certified social worker they have an established relationship with.

“Finding a therapist is a long and arduous process for many people,” Villa said. “This kind of care isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation, and when a good match is found, we should make it as easy as possible for individuals to receive continued care.”

WEST CHICAGO - Thanks to the support of State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago), 57 businesses in the district she represents will receive almost $3 million in combined assistance to grow and restore their services that were hindered by the pandemic.

“Our businesses have worked exceptionally hard to remain open while keeping their employees and the community safe,” said Villa. ”Business owners are still trying to recover their lost resources from the pandemic.”

SPRINGFIELD – Community members and professionals on State Senator Karina Villa’s (D-West Chicago) Senior Advisory Committee are making strides on a measure that would ensure nursing home residents are treated with courtesy and are able to maintain their human and civil rights while receiving medical care. 

“It is essential that we, as a community, support nursing home residents, who are among one of our most vulnerable populations,” Villa said. “Families should have full confidence in the facility and their staff to perform the best medical practices and be courteous of the patient’s wishes.”

Villa’s legislation would prohibit nursing home residents from performing labor for the facility unless it is for documented therapeutic or medical purposes. It also ensures timely delivery of basic needs for residents. 

This initiative provides nursing home residents the right to courteous treatment, the right to protection and the right to advocacy services. It outlines a grievance procedure for residents and protects them through the process of expressing grievances. This measure will make residents and their advocates better aware of their rights in the home and ensure that they are protected in executing their rights,  

“It is already stressful enough to make the decision to put a loved one in a nursing home. They should not have to worry about facilities taking proper care of their family members,” said Villa. “My hope is that under this measure, there will be improved accessibility to ensure residents are treated with dignity and respect at all times.”

This legislation was in partnership with my senior advisory committee. “The committee is filled with seniors living in the community and a community member who voiced her experiences in a long term care facility where she was neglected,” said Villa.

Senate Bill 1633 passed the Senate and now heads to the House for further consideration.

Senator Villa is a strong promoter of the senior community. She hosts a monthly Senior Advisory Committee on the second Friday of each month at 10 a.m. via Zoom. To receive the link and agenda contact Villa’s office at seniors.25th@gmail.com.

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund employers could have more flexibility in determining how to structure IMRF payments under the Illinois public pension system through a measure championed by State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago).

“This adjustment is necessary to support IMRF from being hit with additional payment requirements,” said Villa. “This is one step toward providing more flexibility for IMRF employers to determine how to structure payments.”

Under Villa’s legislation, IMRF employers would be exempt from paying Accelerated Payment (AP) charges or increases through retributions due to a members receiving workers’ compensation. Similar to other statewide systems, IMRF employers are required to pay the employer cost of pension due based on the members earnings but unlike other systems, IMRF employers are liable for paying any AP charges made through the process.

SPRINGFIELD – To recuperate from the discrimination older LGBTQ adults have faced historically, State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) has passed legislation that would allocate a designated advocate under the Department on Aging for addressing mistreatment.

“The LGBTQ community has faced a lot of stress and overcame amble amounts of adversity historically,” Villa said. “A designated advocate would allow this misrepresented community the support they need to continue on.”

Villa’s measure would require the Department on Aging to provide older LGBTQ adults with a designated advocate and creates an LGBTQ Older Adult Curriculum and Training Program for Department on Aging service providers and contractors.